Serena Mitnik-Miller “Inbetween”
Joshua Liner Gallery
This event has ended.
Joshua Liner Gallery presents INBETWEEN, an exhibition of watercolor paintings from the San Francisco-based artist Serena Mitnik-Miller. After having presented solo offerings in Australia, Japan, and extensively in California, this is the artist’s first New York solo exhibition. The artist will be present at the opening reception.
For those unfamiliar with the artist’s work, an Internet query for Serena Mitnik- Miller will retrieve articles on her home, her business, and of course her fine art. All commentary points to the talent of her natural and uncomplicated aesthetic. Though she divides her time between The General Store and painting, Mitnik-Miller explains that her artwork remains at the forefront of her daily life. “Painting and creating has been a part of my life from a very young age. Painting is the most calming of my endeavors, which is most enjoyable, and makes me happy.”
This unforced, composed attitude and ethos seamlessly transfers to her art. Working primarily in watercolor on paper, Mitnik-Miller’s practice centers on the repetition of patterns and shapes—all the while keeping each work fresh and unique. In the artist’s own words: “[I’m] finding new ways for the same patterns to interact. My process is a delicate balance between exacting discipline and freeform expression.” Without the use of tape, stencil, or the like, the artist manipulates an unpredictable medium into impeccable geometric, linear arrangements—working just as much with the negative space as with what she puts down on the paper.
It is no accident Mitnik-Miller’s paintings evoke ties to the environment. She has always lived by the sea and spends much of her time outdoors. In a beautiful video interview for Earth BY… the artist explains: “I feel very strongly about the natural world and I relate to it sometimes more than I relate to people.” With a connectedness to nature, she senses her relationship to the vastness of her surroundings:
I’m proud of what I’ve done so far but I feel like there’s so much more to be done. The more I do, the more I realize how little I’ve done. So I’m just excited to continue doing what I’m doing and completing ideas and having time to create more…
Apparent in how her work has evolved over a short amount of time by constantly refining her technique, her work ethic pushes her to steadily grow. Mitnik-Miller’s artistic sense is pervasive throughout all her undertakings and her fine art practice is an important symbol for this inspiring aesthetic.
Born 1981 in Massachusetts, Serena Mitnik-Miller currently lives and works in San Francisco, California. She earned her BA in Photography and Printmaking from the University of California Santa Cruz as an Irwin Scholar. Selected solo exhibitions include: F O U N D at Beach Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (2013); F O U N D at Art Park Gallery, Byron Bay, NSW Australia (2012); WATERCOLORS at SFMOMA Artist Gallery, San Francisco, CA (2010). Selected group shows include: FOLKLORE at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY (2013); NEEDLES & PENS at Needles & Pens Gallery, San Francisco, CA (2013); THE OBJECTS SHOW at R 20th Century, New York, NY (2013).
[Image: Serena Mitnik-Miller “Untitled (8)” Watercolor on paper (2013) 60 x 40 in.]
Media
Schedule
from January 23, 2014 to February 22, 2014
Opening Reception on 2014-01-23 from 18:00 to 20:00